Report: Lyft has electric scooters on its mind

By Ruth Reader

May 21, 2018

On the heels of Uber’s acquisition of Jump bikes, a new report says Lyft is looking into the scooter business.

 

Lyft has apparently communicated with San Francisco transportation authorities about obtaining one of the five permits the city is doling out to electric scooter rental businesses, according to the Information. Lyft will likely be competing with a rash of other companies, including Bird, Spin, Lime Bike, and possibly Ofo. The article also says Lyft’s policy team recently hired someone to focus on non-car transit options like bikes and scooters.

A Lyft spokesperson declined to comment.

After a year of good growth, Lyft is having to prove that it has a place in the future of mobility. The company is already pursuing self-driving technology. Until that technology comes to fruition, it will have to place meaningful bets on other transit solutions like last-mile transportation.

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